I promise to keep any jokes about Australian Comics to a minimum. In recent times on Kickstarter and even Comic-Con@Home2020, Australia and it’s indie comic industry is pumping. But why the focus on indie comics? Did imports and TV wreck the industry? Well yes but it didn’t wipe it out completely. Among the passionate collectors and marketers, the land down under pushes themselves to compete.
Early Australian Comics
Like just about all comics, Australia’s begin in newspapers and magazines. These have influence from British imports which give rise to poetry. This in turn gives rise to strips with kids as the primary audience. That is until Australia lands itself in a back and forth relationship with Britain and the US. Protests against imports pop up over the country near WWII as the price of paper shot up. So locally produced comics like The Panther get notoriety along with Australian-made The Phantom comics. But a decade in some of the locals (communist parties and conservative politicians) want to censor the content and the imports cheapen.
Imports and Variants
Like most comics outside of the US, Japan, and France, comics in Australia slow to a crawl with imports and TV. Yet rather than despair, Australian comic artists instead use the opportunity to flex their art skills as Marvel sets up shop. Comic collectors everywhere find these Australian variant covers to be rather valuable. So while Australian comics have a bump in the road, the local industries still have a spark.
Resurgence
By the late 70s and early 80s, Australian comics take inspiration from the underground comix of the US. What few comics do appear come from anthologies like Vampire! and Phantastique; which use their controversies for publicity. With this success more comics start to pop up including superheroes from the Cyclone! anthology. Anthologies eventually give rise to zines with increases in technology. Photocopies, fax machines, to computers. This is what allows many Australian creators to work overseas including Injustice writer Tom Taylor.
The Local Creators
With international work and local magazines giving life to Australian comics, the next step is to get Australian comics out and about. Throughout the first fifth of the Twenty-First Century children’s magazines, web comics, and unions give rise to a foundation for comic culture. Some retailers like Dee’s Comics work to preserve Australia’s comic history. Yet while it’s all well and good that history preserves; what about new creations?
Some publishers like Gestalt Publishing have more than a little recognition thanks to talents like Tom Taylor. It even advertises itself as “Australia’s premier graphic novel publishing house.” Everyone else like indie publisher Winter City Productions are pretty much stuck in a rut or cease productions. One creator in particular Stephen Kok funds most of his work through Kickstarter. Only problem is, most of his work isn’t widely available. That’s a bit of a problem for Australian comics at this time, distribution. Fortunately there’s an entire database to introduce the comics/graphic novels to libraries. Compare that to how comic shops can’t allow anything that Diamond Distributions doesn’t provide.
Australian Comics Hunters
Australia’s entire comics culture is a back and forth battle between giving their people a voice and the viability of it. While there is a market and international recognition, right now that’s not enough. With only one company to their name, hundreds of creators, and thousands to millions of fans/collectors there needs to be more. The comic stores and media from down under have just about everything to support the local creators. Now the creators and fans have to show their industry that despite reservations, there is an audience. Many fans are already on their way to doing just that, so the ink’s not dry yet.
Thanks for coming and as always remember to look between the panels.